>> hello and welcome to "global 3000." i'm michaela küfner reporting to you from berlin on the global issues that make a difference. and here's what we have coming up for you today. toxic paradise -- local communities protest against big pesticide experiments. joining forces -- the challenges facing trade unions in a globalized world. and, south sea studies -- using mascots to teach kids on palau

about biodiversity. now, living in hawaii sounds like a dream. and it only recently lost top spot as the happiest place in the u.s. the island of kauai was just that until some of the world's largest agro-chemical companies started using it as a testing ground for their latest genetically-modified concoctions and the pesticides that go with them. these chemicals are increasingly used in global agriculture. the industry saw a turnover of some 33 billion euros in 2011 and this figure rose by 5 billion euros within the space of just two years. so, with big money to be made and 4000 kilometers to the nearest mainland, the chemical giants are clearly willing to take the risk. but some 60,000 islanders who live there were never asked - -- asked.

and suddenly they found themselves in an open air laboratory. >> people on kauai are furious. they're worried about their health. time and again they take to the streets to protest against the cultivation of gm plants and the use of poisonous pesticides on their island. jeri dipietro and fellow activists from the group hawai'i seed are organizing the protests. dipietro has been fighting for years against the agro-industry, which is testing genetically modified plants on the island. >> they're using over 18 restricted-use chemicals and they're spraying over 250 days out of every year, just massive. for these chemical corporations to come so close to our communities and our schools and resist and not tell us what is being sprayed or even give prior notice.

>> agriculture on hawaii's islands has changed dramatically. within ten years the youngest state in the u.s. has become the world's largest experimental field for genetically-modified plants. papayas, sunflowers, corn -- the large biotech companies are testing their latest creations for the first time in the open air. on kauai they're experimenting with pesticides and cultivating new genetically-modified types of corn to produce seeds for the world market. >> it is a map here of kauai and the experimental chemical test fields on our island. this red area here is syngenta, this is dupont and this is dow agrosciences. these fields are being sprayed down there right next to our community, our school and our hospital. these residents here get a lot of dust and pesticide drift from

the trade winds blowing it into their home. so, everything from our soil to our water to our honey bees to the children is being exposed with off-the-chart amounts of chemicals. >> this district of the port town of waimea is especially affected. in this small road near the fields alone, 26 people are suffering from cancer. victims meet to talk in the community center. >> certain poisons they spray affect me more than other poisons. i don't know what they spray and how much they spray, but i know. my body tells me because i cannot breathe. so -- and my wife had breast cancer and the experts came down from the mainland and they said atrazine is one of the poisons that they use heavily here.

that poison causes estrogen-positive breast cancer. another neighbor two doors down, the husband has gone to emergency three times because he couldn't breathe. all their kids have asthma now. my neighbor behind me just died of colon cancer. it is so many people in the neighborhood, unusually high rates of cancer. >> the protests on kauai are becoming louder. in november of last year they found a sympathetic ear. local politicians passed a new bill for the island. larger pesticide-free buffer zones around residential areas and, most important, disclosure of the pesticides used. the bill is set to come into effect in august. councilor gary hooser now plan to rein in the large biotech companies. >> they misrepresented the facts to me personally and directly. i would ask them what are you

spraying in your fields and they would say we're only spraying what every other farmer sprays. and i did investigation and found out that's not true. they're using over 22 different restricted-use pesticides. they are using tons and tons of it. and they would say we're not experimenting with pesticides, and i find out that they are experimenting with pesticides. >> part of the new legislation also requires a study into the effects of the sprays on local residents' health. but the bill hasn't come into effect yet. and seed companies have filed a lawsuit challenging its legality. they're afraid the entire issue could strengthen opponents of green gene technology. we asked for an interview with the mayor of kauai. he voted against the new law and in favor of the interests of the agro-industry. >> for kauai it's important that we continue to support agriculture.

and talking specifically about the seed corn companies, they do have a place here. they have been here for many years. they employ many of our families, over 600-plus employees that are working. >> pediatrician james raelson works in waimea clinic, not far from the areas under cultivation. he's less concerned about economic interests than the accumulation of deformities and heart defects in newborn children. >> we are looking at birth defect rates that are at least ten times higher than what's published. i am absolutely worried. i mean, these are chemicals we that all know are toxic. i mean, they are deadly in high enough amounts. many of the chemicals are organophosphates. i like to tell people it's chemically pretty much the same stuff as was used in syria in the recent civil war, much smaller concentrations, of course.

but not knowing how much the children, the families are being exposed to, you just can't not question the safety and i just don't feel like we have enough information to know whether there is safe use or not. >> at dupont pioneer, we repeatedly tried to get an interview. >> we would like to ask for an interview. >> all they would give us is a telephone number to make an appointment. we phone the number we've been given. once again, no one answers. at dow chemical, we asked for weeks for an appointment but were told there were scheduling difficulties. the seed industry is stonewalling. not one representative was willing to speak on camera. >> these chemical companies say that their permits come from the federal level and that they have every right to be here and that they have every right to spray whatever they want without telling us a thing.

>> the crop sprayers are moving out again. only if the new bill really comes into effect this summer will anything change on kauai. >> "it's safe" -- that's what 301 turkish miners were told before they went to their deaths at the bottom of a mine shaft in the town of soma in western turkey. now, more and more insidious facts are coming to light, revealing just how flawed the safety measures that failed these men really were. it's disasters like these that highlight why the world needs strong trade unions -- to force employers to pay for what it takes to keep their workers safe. we met up with young trade unionists from around the world as they converged on berlin to debate the key challenges facing workers today. >> a club in berlin, just before midnight. young trade unionists from all over the world have come here to network.

philippine activist berenice coronacion is in the german capital for the first time. but she has no time for sightseeing in berlin. she wants to achieve political aims for workers in her home country. >> my expectation is really to deliver the importance of unity among the young people and the need to organize more young people and more young people to get involved in the labor movement. >> while she was studying at university, she worked in mcdonalds. now she wouldn't even eat there. instead she's campaigning for better wages for fast-food outlet employees. >> thank you! >> berenice is one of 1500 participants at the world congress of the international trade union world confederation, which takes place every four years.

most participants are twice her age. berenice will be presenting her campaign today. is she nervous? >> just a little, but i need to conquer it to deliver well. who amongst here have a youth committee already? we have things to do. we have lots to be done in terms of our youth activities and our youth work, right? >> the median age in the philippines is 23, but the economic upturn in the country is scarcely reaching young people. the hourly wage at mcdonalds is the same as the price of a hamburger. berenice protests by staging dance flash mobs. >> respect fast food workers' rights! respect fast food workers'

rights! >> stefanie from germany, freda from ghana, and berenice from the philippines confer on how to motivate young people to join trade unions. >> people don't really know what unions do, that they can protect them, they give them the right information, the right capacity building >> and what are the sacrifices that the union has made. >> and the achievements they have made. >> wages, vacation pay, safety standards for workers -- the list of issues the world's trade unions address is long. >> we've come to this congress with differing problems, from widely diverse countries and different backgrounds. but what we can compare is our organizational work -- how to get young people interested in joining trade unions, because that's long been a global

problem. >> the more people network, the sooner they'll succeed. the young trade unionists are demonstrating for international solidarity with workers in qatar. in the past months, hundreds of workers have lost their lives building the infrastructure for the 2022 soccer world cup. >> as workers of the world, we want to give support to the people in qatar, to say that the violations of the labor rights and human rights and workers' rights must stop. because trade union rights are also human rights. >> for berenice coronacion, being in the union has turned her professional and private lives upside down. >> it is really life-changing, so from a simple city girl who used to study to then go back to our houses washing dishes, now i

still do washing dishes and i talk with my siblings, but the difference is that i meet other people and we talk about how to change society. >> she plans to keep in touch with the others and hopes for more joint international campaigns in the future. >> when our reporters travel berlin and the world to find these stories for you, sometimes they get lucky and someone invites them into their home. so, we can all see how different people live in different places. today we get a tour of a very creative living room in the kenyan capital, nairobi. i promise you after this you will look at your living room walls in a totally different way.

>> my name is ralph. i live in nairobi and this is my home. karibuni. welcome. to the living room. this is my living room. this is where i stay. a lot of times people write ideas for things that we want to do together on the walls. so, you will find a lot of half-started ideas like for music, writing, books.

i'm always releasing my books to the wild. what happens is with our book-party -- when you get a book at the party, when you've finished the book, you're not supposed to keep it in your house, but to drop it somewhere else in nairobi, like in the open. well, this is my working space. i'm a dj as well as a freelance writer. this is something i'm working on currently.

so, that's my workspace, my living space. thanks for visiting, and see you again some other time. bye-bye, world. >> and from kenya, we head some 11,000 kilometers across the pacific ocean to a group of islands in the south pacific. palau is home to only about 20,000 people. sounds like ideal conditions for wildlife and yet, below the lush green surface, palau's natural riches are under threat. its biodiversity is world renowned but has proved fragile in the face of coastal erosion and over-fishing. and currently the younger generation is being made aware of the need to protect the legacy of this biodiversity hotspot.

>> a weekend trip to the rock islands. the children are excited. a fishing competition is on the agenda, the junior angler event, and, for the first time, snorkeling. here, the children can see biodiversity firsthand. mollusks, sea cucumbers, starfish, and many species of fish, palau is famed for its underwater marine life. >> it is quite important that we protect the biodiversity that we can find in the rock islands and especially in these protected areas where we know that different species use them for feeding areas and as a nursery for turtles and fish. >> the aquarium becomes a

classroom. ileb olkeriil explains why nature reserves make sense. she heads a project aimed at convincing palauans to take an active part in protecting their marine habitats. the children flock to captain mali, the project mascot. he's a napoleon wrasse. and here's a real one. the fish is on the endangered species list. >> we selected the napoleon wrasse because it is found in ngederrak conservation area and we would like this as a flagship species for our other conservation areas within the rock islands. it is very important and we still see them here in palau, whereas other islands in micronesia, in guam, or pohnpei, they don't see them anymore. >> the rock islands are a few hundred islands off palau -- former coral reefs, shaped by wind and water. the rock islands southern lagoon is a unesco world heritage site.

but palau's biodiversity isn't only under water. in some places on palau's largest island, babeldaob, only a single road cuts through the rainforest. an estimated thousand tree and plant species grow here -- and some of them only here. palau's isolated location in the middle of the pacific has led to flora and fauna adapting specifically to this environment. like the rainbird, so called because it twitters just before a rainfall. the children in this school know it well. it's also a mascot, named armella, an enjoyable way of putting species protection on the lesson plan.

project leader ann singeo says having mascots to promote species protection makes sense. >> she's one of 12 endemic birds of palau. so, protection of forests and the biodiversity of the plants within our forests is also a protection of armella. so, her part of the campaign is, that, if you destroy the forest, you destroy my home and my children's home. >> the women from northern babeldaob island want to protect the forest. here they're collecting plants which they'll later grow in a nursery. while doing so, they're rediscovering some species themselves. ♪ >> what is normally expected from people to interact with the

earth peacefully, that has sort of been lost. so, by coming out here and having them to learn more about palau's, not just the names of the plants, but also the forest itself -- that gives another sense of value. then you can actually ask them, let's restore the native forest. >> and that's what the women here have been doing for a good six months. at first there were only three of them. many others were skeptical. now 25 women are taking part. they don't want to accept that forest areas like this that have burnt down remain that way. vegetation is beginning to grow here again. 72,000 plants are planned in all, so they have a lot of work ahead of them. and the women do it voluntarily. with simple means, they're also erecting barriers against the

erosion that takes place when the rain comes. >> the water will take the soil to the sea and there the sediments cover all the bottom. and the shells that used to live under, they died. >> the mangroves a few kilometers farther down are already coated in sediment. but they can hold back only some of the soil. >> everyone beyond that is going directly to the reef. and so what the community is realizing is that the area that used to be such an important area for them to glean, to fish, is no longer a productive reef. >> the women are changing their attitudes, and bit by bit they're convincing the rest of the community. >> we try our best and we wish

and we pray how can we make that like it was before. >> the children are too young to know what it was like before. but now they're learning that when they go fishing, they have to be selective and use the right methods. because they're fishing in a protected area, the fish will later be released back into the ocean. >> we want to convey to the kids that there are protected areas because they are a sanctuary to the fish so they can spill over. once they will spill over to the outside areas, then you can fish it. so, without those areas, there will be less fish for them to fish. >> 9 pounds. 4.2 pounds.

>> not all the children have caught a fish by the end of the day. but they have all learned how important it is to protect biodiversity. >> and next week we will be in brazil, which is about to host the football world cup. we'll take you to the maracana in rio de janeiro, one of the most famous football stadiums in the world. it's been refurbished extensively. now it can host fewer fans at much higher ticket prices, just one of the issues that are driving protests on the streets of rio these days. more on this next week, and plenty more online on lots of other stories, but for now from me and the whole global team here in berlin, thanks for watching and bye-bye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--gzxñ >> coming up.

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